Page 42 of A Winter Thaw

“Having fun?” Audrey teased.

Elaine nodded, smiling. “Very much so. Are you?”

“Definitely.” Audrey popped a miniature cookie into her mouth. “We’ll be home before we know it, and then we can start putting all this new knowledge to good use. I think getting stranded is worth it to be able to get all this new information for free, don’t you?”

“I agree. I told Shep it’s like business conference Christmas.”

Audrey and Elaine laughed, and Elaine felt another surge of contentment. It did feel like a kind of Christmas, and before they knew it, they would be home again, celebrating Christmas for real.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Theo stared down at the engine in front of him, hardly seeing it. His mind seemed to be caught in a maze, and every time he tried to turn a corner, he saw Michelle in front of him again. On the one hand, it wasn’t so bad, thinking about Michelle so much. She gave him butterflies, and part of him wanted to think about her. On the other hand, he had no idea what was going to happen with him and Michelle, and that uncertainty was stressing him out. He was also so distracted that he was hardly getting anything done at the auto shop, and that was obviously far from ideal.

I feel so awkward about that kiss, he thought, shutting his eyes for a moment and replaying the kiss in his head for the thousandth time. I don’t regret it—I mean, how could I? It was incredible. But she rushed off so fast afterward, and I think that probably means that she didn’t really like it.

He sighed and went back to trying to work on the engine. The reality was that his feelings for Michelle had been growing ever since she’d moved back to Coral Sands, but he wasn’t sure how to tell her how he felt. He’d thought the kiss would make things clear, but he felt more confused about her feelings than ever. During the kiss, it had seemed like she was into it. Then she’d laughed, and he’d had no idea how to interpret that. Like, was she laughing because she thought it was weird and awkward, or was she laughing because she was happy? The way she’d run off had been the most troubling thing of all for him. Surely if she’d liked the fact that he’d kissed her, she wouldn’t have rushed off like that, right?

He grimaced, wondering how she was going to behave when he saw her again. He’d been avoiding her ever since the kiss. He knew he would be hurt if she went right back to being snippy and sassy with him, acting as though the kiss had never happened and she never wanted it to happen again.

I could very well get hurt, he thought as he wrestled with part of the engine. My heart is in a precarious place right now whether I like it or not. I do have feelings for her, and I have no idea how she feels. There’s a good chance that she doesn’t feel the same way, and I’m going to have to just deal with the blow of that, pick myself up, and try to move on.

“Hey, Theo!”

Theo looked up, blinking. Tony, one of the other mechanics, was watching him and shaking his head.

“Dude, why are you putting that back together when you haven’t fixed it yet?”

Theo looked down at the engine, his eyes widening. “I didn’t? Wow. Okay, you’re right, Tony. I would have realized it myself in a second or two, but thanks for catching it early.”

“Are you okay?” Tony took a few steps closer to Theo, looking concerned. “You seem really distracted.”

“I am.” Theo groaned. “I hardly have my head on straight today.”

“Why don’t you take a break? I just finished the brakes on that SUV. I can take over here. You don’t want to mess something up that might become a safety issue.”

“You’re right.” Theo sighed. “I’ll go for a walk, I think. Try to clear my head. I would have realized my mistake in a second, I promise, but I’m pretty useless right now so I might as well take a break.”

“I know, I get it. Everyone has off days.” Tony clapped Theo on the back. “Go take a walk.”

Theo put on his coat and hat and stepped out of the garage. It was a sunny day, but still bitingly cold. He stuffed his hands in his pockets as he began to stroll down the sidewalk. He turned the situation with Michelle over and over in his mind as he walked, but he knew he wasn’t going to make any progress unless he actually talked to her.

But not yet, he thought, feeling his stomach churn with anxiety. After all, maybe she doesn’t even know how she feels about the kiss. Maybe she needs more time to think about it.

It was so cold that after a few minutes, he decided to duck into Townsend’s Bakery to get warm. His stomach grumbled, and he decided that buying a pastry was a good idea as well. He pulled open the front door of the bakery, which caused the overhead bells to jangle cheerfully.

He’d just taken two steps into the cozy little establishment when he saw Michelle sitting at one of the tables by the window. She was sipping a cup of coffee, and there was a half-eaten cheese Danish on a plate in front of her. She was writing things down in a notebook and she had her laptop open in front of her, and she seemed to be doing bookwork for the hotel.

He froze, and his first instinct was to simply turn around and leave the bakery before she saw him so that he wouldn’t have to go over and talk to her. His hands became damp with sweat despite the fact that his body was still cold.

He was just about to turn around and leave when she looked up and made direct eye contact with him. Neither of them moved an inch for several heartbeats as they blinked at each other.

Well now she’s seen me, he thought, swallowing. I might as well go over there.

Feeling his heart thumping in his chest, he made his way over to Michelle. She offered him a tentative smile, but rather than reassure him, it made his heart sink. Her smile looked like it belonged to the friend zone, not the romance zone. She almost looked like she felt sorry for him, and he hoped with all his might that he was interpreting her facial expressions the wrong way.

“You want to sit down?” Michelle asked him.

“Sure.” He cleared his throat and sat down in the narrow white chair across from hers. For a second, he tried to think of something to say. It seemed clear they needed to discuss their kiss the night before, but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up.